The United States is concerned about the plans of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pay a non-official visit to Russia ahead of the G7 summit that will be held in Japan in May

TOKYO, March 1. /TASS/. Secretary General of Japan's National Security Secretariat Shotaro Yachi has explained in Washington Tokyo’s policy towards Russia that raises concerns by the United States, NHK TV channel reported.

At the meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, Yachi "clarified Japan’s position towards solving the territorial problem in relations with Russia calling on the US to show understanding," the report said.

The United States is concerned about the plans of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pay a non-official visit to Russia ahead of the G7 summit that will be held in Japan in May. Abe calls for dialogue with Moscow despite its soured relations with the West.

During the talks, Yachi and Blinken also discussed the possible adoption by the UN Security Council of harsher sanctions against North Korea, the situation in Syria and in the South China Sea where Tokyo and Washington accuse Beijing of attempts to take under control significant water areas.

The long-running dispute over the Southern Kuril Islands remains the main obstacle for the settlement in the relations between Russia and Japan and signing of the peace treaty. After the end of World War II, all the Kuril Islands were declared the territory of the Soviet Union. Japan claims Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai as part of its territory.